Georgian Parliament Vice Speaker warns EU may soon require member states to recognise same-sex marriage

Giorgi Kakhiani, the Vice Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, on Tuesday suggested that European Union member states may soon be obliged to recognise same-sex marriage, following a recent ruling by the EU’s highest court.

Kakhiani made the comments after the European Union’s Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriages must be recognised across the entire bloc.

“This decision by the EU Court already says a lot. It does not yet directly indicate that every state within the European Union is obliged, through its own legislation, to recognise marriage with a same-sex partner, but it seems that everything is moving in that direction”, he said.

“I do not rule out that step by step, gradually, very soon, the issue may be raised in such a way that EU member states will have some kind of obligation to recognise same-sex marriage - something that is unacceptable for us and for our society”, Kakhiani continued.

The Vice Speaker further stressed that the Georgian Constitution explicitly defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

“Our Constitution clearly states that family is the union of a woman and a man. When we see decisions of such content that contradict this, naturally, it raises certain questions”, he concluded.

The European Union’s highest court on Tuesday ruled that same-sex marriages must be recognised across all member states and criticised Poland for refusing to acknowledge the marriage - registered in Germany - of two of its citizens.